TSA: *perplexed, talking to another agent*

TSA: “….it’s not a threat” *tilts head*

me: “is that my bag?”

TSA: “yeah, what is that?”

me: “it’s a telescope”

TSA: “a telescope, ohh, it’s the whole thing…”

me: “yeah, just without the tripod”

TSA: “how powerful is that telescope?”

me: *laughs* “it’s only a few mirrors, ma’m”

astrogasmic:

Nixon Park Nature Center is nestled in a stream valley about 5 miles south of York city. Secluded, yet nearby, this 181-acre park is the only one within the York County Park system set aside solely for wildlife and education allowing only foot traffic on the trails. The property offers habitats ranging from oak dominated dry hillsides to stream side forests to meadows and old fields. Three clear flowing streams and two small ponds add to the landscape. These aquatic habitats attract their own special animals from stunningly colored wood ducks to lumbering snapping turtles. A system of loop marked trails, offers a combination of habitats, topography and totals 6 miles.

Nixon Park’s centrally located 14,000 square foot Nature Center is rivalled by few other County Park systems. The combination museum and nature center has something for every nature lover. Housing a fine collection of stuffed, taxidermy mounts, the displays revolve around the nature of York County and animals from Africa, Northern Rockies and the Arctic. Built in two sections (1978 and 1992) the focuses are divided between the two wings. Anyone from outdoors person, to animal lover, to animal planet and discovery channel junky, from pre-schooler to senior learner will find something to suit their tastes.

The original center (1978) houses displays on York County Wildlife. With 80 bird mounts, including 28 waterfowl, 20 birds of prey and 32 songbirds, visitors can get a close look at many of the species that inhabit or visit York County throughout the year. The 20 mammal mounts show past and present inhabitants of the county. Additionally there are displays about: honey bees including a working observation hive, insects, reptiles including several live specimens, local Native American artifacts, mans role in preserving habitat, geology and soil. Housed in a building made to resemble a York County barn there truly is something for everyone’s interests. Seven large windows look out on the nature center’s feeding stations, stream and woods beyond. During the fall and winter the feeders attract 35 different species per year. Included in this portion of the nature center is the touch room whose revolving themes help young learners explore a habitat or animal group through hands on activities, puppet shows, a dress up box as well as a reading nook.

The main display room (1992) presents a collection of game mounts from around the world. Grouped into three main regions the displays focus on African, Northern Rocky and Arctic wildlife. Primarily the collection of William Koller, a York businessman, a visitor can stare in awe at a Polar Bear or a Kodiak Brown Bear both standing eight feet tall, as well as marvel at the smallest antelope from Africa or peer at a Hippopotamus exploding from its watering hole. The museum quality mounts are dramatically displayed in dioramas with fully painted backgrounds. These scenes depicting plant life, geology, climate and landscapes give the visitor’s eye a true feel of these diverse habitats. Display panels containing information about the individual animals as well as different ecological topics surround each diorama. Additional displays throughout this portion of the building include something for all ages. Visitors can learn more about specific animals or groups of animals, young visitors can measure themselves to life size animal drawings, work on their numbers or test their knowledge on the animal alphabet. The soaring dinosaur mural lets you look back at life from a bygone age.

Our Earth ‘Michael Jackson’
via The Film Artist

My wonderful niece asked me to make this version of my last Earthlapse film to appeal to her generation a litle more. Compiled from 20k+ photographs, I have added a few more timelapses and re-edited it to make this full screen version. Michael Jackson was truly an enlightened and good soul, enjoy! :) Please join our new Nasa Timelapse Club

(Source: facebook.com)

Chris Hadfield and Don Pettit are instrumental in saving the space programme…

(Source: asonlynasacan, via for-all-mankind)

The Guardian has a multi-part, video heavy media set on climate refugees in America. I’d argue that the title “first” is a misnomer and would point to the coastal communities in Texas, New Orleans, and the Carolinas who’ve been retreating from the coasts for several years.  But, the point is made - that sea-level rise and coastal erosion is much more aggressive than at anytime in history. Thus, tens of thousands of people are at immediate risk, especially the poor.

The above is one minute.

The people of Newtok, on the west coast of Alaska and about 400 miles south of the Bering Strait that separates the state from Russia, are living a slow-motion disaster that will end, very possibly within the next five years, with the entire village being washed away.

The Ninglick River coils around Newtok on three sides before emptying into the Bering Sea. It has steadily been eating away at the land, carrying off 100ft or more some years, in a process moving at unusual speed because of climate change. Eventually all of the villagers will have to leave, becoming America’s first climate change refugees.

(Source: climateadaptation, via climateadaptation)

Bonnie Bassler | How Bacteria “Talk” | TED

Bonnie Bassler studies how bacteria can communicate with one another, through chemical signals, to act as a unit. Her work could pave the way for new, more potent medicine.

Why You Should Listen To Her:
In 2002, bearing her microscope on a microbe that lives in the gut of fish, Bonnie Bassler isolated an elusive molecule called AI-2, and uncovered the mechanism behind mysterious behavior called quorum sensing — or bacterial communication. She showed that bacterial chatter is hardly exceptional or anomolous behavior, as was once thought — and in fact, most bacteria do it, and most do it all the time. (She calls the signaling molecules “bacterial Esperanto.”)

The discovery shows how cell populations use chemical powwows to stage attacks, evade immune systems and forge slimy defenses called biofilms. For that, she’s won a MacArthur “genius” grant — and is giving new hope to frustrated pharmacos seeking new weapons against drug-resistant superbugs.

Bassler teaches molecular biology at Princeton, where she continues her years-long study of V. harveyi, one such social microbe that is mainly responsible for glow-in-the-dark sushi. She also teaches aerobics at the YMCA.

“You think of yourselves as human beings, but I think of you as 99 percent bacterial.” - Bonnie Bassler

(Source: youtube.com)

This time, I worked with up and coming AccuWeather journalist Samantha-Rae Tuthill. She asked tough questions and dug deep for this piece. She was really great and I had a lot of fun. She also picked out some good zingers (I bet long-time readers will recognize my pessimism). Check it out if you can!

Whether they call it global warming, climate change or even global cooling, more and more Americans are taking a stand on one side or the other of this hotly debated issue.

According to a survey published last year by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, 66 percent of Americans believe that global warming is happening, with 42 percent concerned that it will harm people in the United States between now and the next 10 years. Forty-five percent of Americans believe the country will be harmed by global warming in the next 50 years, with only 16 percent saying that global warming will never harm the U.S.

The arguments on either side of the issue can be broken into three main categories. Those who do not believe in climate change, or at least in man-made climate change, are considered “climate skeptics.” Groups concerned about climate change are primarily split between two camps; those who want to prevent further change and those who want to adapt to changes that do occur.

(Source: climateadaptation)

Idea: What if the federal government gave someone like Neil DeGrasse Tyson a “Science Laureate” role, like we do for poets? Sound like a good idea? Fortunately, members of Congress are already working on it.

The post could be rotated among different fields so that each could get more public exposure.

(Source: shortformblog.com, via dendroica)

Light Pollution | Losing The Dark

Starry skies are a vanishing treasure because light pollution is washing away our view of the cosmos. It not only threatens astronomy, it disrupts wildlife, and affects human health. The yellow glows over cities and towns — seen so clearly from space — are testament to the billions spent in wasted energy from lighting up the sky.

To help raise public awareness of some of the issues pertaining to light pollution, Loch Ness Productions in collaboration with the International Dark-Sky Association has created a 6.5-minute “public service announcement” called Losing the Dark. It introduces and illustrates some of the issues regarding light pollution, and suggests three simple actions people can take to help mitigate it.

Losing the Dark was initially created in fulldome video format for digital planetarium use. It also has been made as a conventional flat screen video, for use in classrooms, kiosks, museum theaters, and advocate multimedia presentations. Classic planetarium theaters without fulldome capability can show this version using their traditional video projectors.

via The International Dark Sky Association (IntlDarkSkyAssoc)

Stay Curious! Watch: The City Dark; more about the film HERE.

Andrew Ferguson considers the implications of philosopher Thomas Nagel’s provocative Mind and Cosmos.  (via explore-blog)

(Source: , via explore-blog)

Hmm. I’m assuming this is in response to this post? No matter what this hate-fueled statement is regarding, there’s a much more mature way to go about this. If that post conflicts with your beliefs, the hate need not be projected at me, simply try to understand why you are upset in the first place and re-evaluate your own “knowledge” of your religion, the world, life, etc.

As far as fact-checking goes, I’m actually feeling a bit oblivious to what this could be referring to, considering all of my posts are sourced via the picture, links throughout the body of the text, or sourced as noted at the bottom of each post. My posts may not be laid out the way others are publishing theirs, but I’m not here to conform. If anyone takes personal offense to me editing their post at all, please let me know. Let’s not keep secrets. We’re all here to share and spread good science, so let’s continue to do so without any pettiness nor any feelings being trampled on or lines crossed. I’ve been sourcing posts a bit differently than I used to, because the posts end up looking better/cleaner on the blog. That’s all. Other than that, the posts are sourced the same way as always, with the source link simply not being forefront before the body of the text because we’re not here to self promote, we’re here to source things accurately with the science and information being the primary goal, correct? Ok. Let’s move on.

I know I’ve come off a bit sarcastic in some of my posts. That’s because I am. I have to be, at times, to make light of this world and my own struggles that consume me nearly every single day. However, I also will not hesitate to talk with any of you, about anything, no matter the topic. And if it’s something I can’t relate to or which I lack knowledge of, I am not the type of person who will blindingly roll over the subject as if I know what I do not.

Science is a continuous process of self evaluation and as Carl has stated, “self discovery.” I’m not an astrophysicist. I’m not a mathematician, nor a professional scientist. I’m a natural scientist via the processes of natural selection at this current time in my individual evolution. I don’t claim to know things I have no formal background in, and I’m humbled to have anyone correct me on anything I may rush to post without understanding or attempting to understand it myself.

Again, if there’s an issue, please present it maturely and respectfully rather than leaving me hateful comments like these. It’s rude. I don’t go out of my way to make anyone’s life miserable or take shots at someone I don’t know, especially when he/she could be going through something unfathomable to me and my personal experience. I’ve taken the time to correct grammar on posts for others, address any grammatical or factual errors by bringing them to the attention of the blogger and I’ve been more than honored to even be a contributing science editor in the tumblrverse. It’s been a pleasure to share all of this information and my own interests with all of you.

As I continue to press forward in my life, and all of you with yours, let’s try to use our digital voices for good. You never know what one rude comment sent anonymously to another person may trigger in their lives, and no one wants to feel even remotely responsible for aiding in the despair of a stranger’s life.

Ad astra.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: Want Scientifically Literate Children? Get Out of Their Way.

A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS ON CHRIS HADFIELD’S GIFT TO EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION & ACCESSIBILITY

You know my love for Chris Hadfield. You can see my first post about him here, “Reasons for Chris Hadfield”.

In my opinion, he is the embodiment of the modern scientist. Someone who is not only a researcher, but at tentpole around which we can build science accessibility and education.

He went up an scientist, but he’s seemingly returned to Earth an icon of education and communication, of which the world has rarely seen.

I honestly don’t even know how I can even go to bed now without a “Tonight’s Finale” photo from Chris of the world.

And with that I want to thank Chris deeply for all that he’s given to us.

I want to also send two special shout outs

• To his son, Evan, for coordinating all these efforts, and making it possible for us to talk to an astronaut. Up in space. Forever far away, but seemingly closer than most scientists I’ve ever met. Thank you for making this a possibility.
• To the Canadian Space Agency, who I could not appreciate more. Exploration of space is not just about discovering the the final fronter, but about realizing what we as humans are fully capable of. Thank you for helping us all experience this.

MEDIA

• Above is Chris’ “Space Oddity” cover video which is INSTANTLY the greatest video ever made.
• Below is Chris talking about Social Media, something we all know and love.

• And HERE is a great article from the CBC on Chris, Evan and the Canadian Space Agency exploration of Social Media in space, and their plans for the future.

 

(via romkids)